Black Tea For Weight Loss
New research suggests that black tea may help promote weight loss as a result of its effect on bacteria in the gut. A study from UCLA showed that both black tea and green tea led to a decrease in the percentage of bacteria linked to obesity and to an increase in bacteria associated with lean body mass. Although the study was in mice, lead researcher Susanne Henning said the new findings suggest that black as well as green tea may contribute to good health and weight loss in humans. In the study, the research team fed four groups of mice different diets, two of which were supplemented with extracts of green or black tea. The four diets were:
- Low fat, high sugar
- High fat, high sugar
- High fat, high sugar plus green tea extract
- High fat, high sugar plus black tea extract.
The researchers reported that after four weeks, the weight of the mice given the green or black tea extracts fell to the same levels as the mice on the low fat diet. They also found that only the mice that received black tea extract had an increase in a type of bacteria that could help explain the difference between how black tea and green tea change energy metabolism leading to weight loss.
Source:
Susanne M. Henning et al, “Decaffeinated green and black tea polyphenols decrease weight gain and alter microbiome populations and function in diet-induced obese mice.” European Journal of Nutrition, September 30, 2017; DOI: 10.1007/s00394-017-1542-8
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